Thus, the Transhuman Overwatch fought There
by KlockB
Summary: Earth was conquered by the Combine, but what happens when a certain fantasy Empire also wants their share of the planet? (Spoilers: It'll bite them in the behind. Badly.)
1. Chapter 1

It has been 20 years, since the Black Mesa Incident. 20 years since the incident that tore a hole between our dimension and the Borderworld, Xen. Through that hole never before seen forms of life emerged. It was clear from the first moment that their intentions were not peaceful. Though, through the heroic efforts of one Dr. Gordon Freeman, and many other security, science, and military personnel, the being keeping the hole open between our world and theirs was killed.

But it came with a great price. Xenian wildlife spread across the world, threatening people living in the country, away from sufficient military assistance. Billions in the world became refugees, flooding the metropolitan areas across the world. Entire countries collapsed because of the new crisis. Every other government was overwhelmed.

That's when **they **came. The only thing we could know about them was how they knew of us. Somehow they were able to detect the Black Mesa Incident, the accident's ripples across the pond of dimensions did not go unnoticed. It was only a matter of time until they found a way leading to our world.

They came in endless numbers, with weapons we thought were impossible; only the product of creative writers and authors. They were, from that point on very real to us. Even if we were prepared for them, we would've been annihilated to the very last man. Dr. Wallace Breen saw that, and knew that our only way of survival was collaboration with the so, he negotiated with them, and in the name of Humanity, surrendered unconditionally. All this happened in the span of seven hours. That's how the conflict was named "The Seven-Hour War". In recognition, Breen was appointed as the Administrator of Earth.

Following the war, the invaders, who were now known as the Universal Union or Combine settled into our planets, implanting their Citadels into the middle of remaining urban centers. Following this, the Transhuman Overwatch was set up, tasked with pacifying the planet, and being the fist line of defense in case of a hostile invasion. Slowly the initial invasion force withdrew from our planet, gradually placing the responsibility of keeping their newly conquered planet onto the shoulders of the newly-formed Overwatch, which numbers grew by the month.

That was 20 years ago. Most of Mankind came to accept their alien overlords. Many citizens joining into the ranks of Civil Protection, a quasi-police organisation tasked with keeping order, and ensuring the subservience of the population.

Now, in the central plaza of the largest urban center, named City 17, in which is the center of Combine rule over Earth located, a new portal began to open. The time has come for the Universal Union to expand once more.

**Author's notes: Hey fellas, this is my first ever fanfic, so any kind of constructive criticism is appreciated. Suggestions are also welcome. I'll try and update this story as often as I can, but I'll make no promises.**


	2. Chapter 2

It was an average day in City 17, new citizens were being brought in by train, and the Civil Protection teams throughout the city a bit fewer than usual incidents with the citizens.

That was, until a scanner-drone noticed something peculiar in the city's central plaza. The air started shimmering, like a mirage. Although this 'mirage' was restricted to a vague square shape. Soon enough Civil Protection teams were alerted to the phenomena and started cordoning off the plaza ordering the gawking citizens away, while the order was given for the local Overwatch garrison to be in a state of high alert.

Then, in an instance, a structure not unlike an ancient roman or greek temple materialised where the mirage was mere seconds ago. Not soon after a creature flew out of the structure, attacking the dumbstruck CP teams, moments after soldiers not unlike ancient imperial roman legionaires marched out of the structure, the only difference being, that instead of the eagle wings on their shields, they had dragon wings, gawking at the height of the Citadel, and the sophisticated Combine walls, seperating the city's blocks. They weren't the only ones, creatures that could only be called ogres and orcs, armed with gigantic clubs and hammers from fantasy novels came with them. Their amusement at the city lasted only for a moment, as one of them blew into his horn, signalling an attack.

This made the city's CP headquarters into a flurry of activity, like an anthill that was stepped on.

_**Attention residents, miscount detected in your block, assemble in your designated inspection positions**_

_**Attention, ground units anticitizen activity reported in Sector-C1; Code: BLOCK CAUTERIZE STABILISE**_

**::Officer needs assistance I'm 11-99::**

**::Officer down, I'm 10-99, repeat I'm 10-99:: **

**::Viscerator away::**

_**Airwatch patrol dispatched**_

**::Sector is not secure, repeat sector is not secure!::**

The invaders caught Civil Protection completely off-guard. Their weapons, while ages more advanced than their enemies' were not enough to stem the tide, and were slain by the attackers, riot teams' shield walls were swept aside by cavalry charges, every unit which did not fall back in time, was annihilated.

After dealing with their enemies in the vicinity, they turned towards the Citadel and began their advance. The barricades in their way were smashed in by their ogres and orcs, while ballistas sent stones and bolts towards the retreating CP teams.

The situation was becoming more and more grim by the minute.

**Citadel, Consul's office**

The Consul was basically the head of the Transhuman Overwatch on Earth. He directed every military operation on the planet. Unlike what you'd expect he was a normal human being, just like Breen. Needless to say, it was a stressful job for an unaugmented human.

At the moment he was sitting in his chair, reading the report about the latest raid on a major rebel base. It was a resounding success, just like the majority of Overwatch Operations.

"These rebels are persistent, you have to give them that" he mused. "No matter, they will be dealt with in time, the loss of that base is sure to be a crippling blow to them."

Suddenly a call came from the large blue-screened Combine computer behind him. He quickly picked it up, albeit he was a bit annoyed that his moment of calm came to an abrupt halt because of it.

"This is the Consul, what is it?"

"**Sir, this OT-55367/17, we have reports of anticitizen activity in multiple sectors, malcontents appear to be primitively armed and are avcancing towards the Citadel**"

_What? Is this the garrison commander pulling a prank on me?_ thought the Consul.

"May I remind you, commander that _joking_ with your superior officer in this manner is ground for Offworld-assignment?!"

"**Sir, contact is lost with all CP units in Sector-C1, and we are receiving requests for reinforcements from neighboring sectors as we speak.**"

_This better be serious._

He thought as he checked the camera feeds from Sector-C1, not all cameras were operating, but the ones that did showed him images that made his blood freeze.

Blood, gore and dead CP officers and civilians everywhere he could see a crushed APC as well, some of the dead were hanged on lampposts, roman-esque soldiers and strange beasts marching along the streets, distant reports of MP-7 submachine guns, the sirens of Civil Protection APCs could be heard over the audio and...

_Is that latin chanting?! This is definitely not the work of the rebels._

"Mobilize every available Overwatch unit in the city, commander! Orders are to terminate all malcontents with extreme prejudice!"

**Citadel,** **Breen's office**

The Administrator of Earth was looking out his office's window to the city below. He was deep in thought. The Union saw Earth and the human species as nothing but raw materials and slaves and soldiers to be converted to their needs, not as a member of their empire.

He had to change that, he had to prove that Humanity was a useful part of the Universal Union. He had to show the _Benefactors_ that keeping the current status quo on Earth was not a waste of time and resources for them.

_But how?_

His thoughts came to a halt as he saw plumes of smoke rising from the City.

_What's going on down there? A rebel attack?_

Last he heard they suffered major defeat after major defeat, how could they have the strength to attack the center of Combine Administration on Earth?

He heard a call on his computer. It was the Consul.

_Maybe he has an answer_

"Yes Consul, what do you wish to speak of?"

"Dr. the City is under attack by unknown forces, Sector-C1 is overrun, and their main force is currently heading towards us, sir. Their weaponry is primitive, ancient roman-level. How they managed to attack us, and their origins are unknown."

"I trust that you already have started organising our defences."

"Yes, Dr. every available Overwatch unit in the city is en-route towards the attackers, and assets within the Citadel are mobilising."

At this point alarms started blaring and the order to prepare for combat is relayed by the Citadel's loudspeakers.

"Very well, Consul. I'm authorizing the use of Offworld reinforcements against this threat. Defend the city, good luck."

**City 17 airspace **

Three Airwatch helicopters, callsign Hunter Flight are racing through the air above the city, with orders to assist Civil Protection units against anticitizen activity in Sector-C1. They are among the first air units dispatched.

**::Hunter-1 I'm detecting airborne biotics in the AO, are you detecting this too?:: **asked Hunter-2

**::Affirmive. Overwatch, we've detected airborne biotics within the AO, advise.::**

_**::Malcompliance confirmed with anticitizen activity. Cleared to engage.::**_

**::Copy, all units engage::**

The choppers approached the flight of wyverns, charging their machine guns up. Their riders eager, for fight and glory flew straight towards them. A fatal mistake. The helicopters opened fire, a torrent of pulse shells sent the wyverns' way. Within seconds the entire flight dropped like flies, ridden with holes like Swiss cheese.

**::Enemy air deserviced::**

**::Hunter-1 we have incoming from our nine-o' clock::**

Another flight of wyverns, taking advantage of their comrades' sacrifice managed to outflank the helicopters. The choppers turned, and fired, but thanks to the distance being much shorter one of them managed to close the distance and grabbed Hunter-3, attempting to crash it into the ground. The pilot tried to regain control of his craft but it was a losing battle. Hunter-1 then turned his helicopter around and sent short bursts of fire towards the creature carefully, trying not to bring Hunter-3 down in the process.

This fight gained the attention of more wyvern riders and were now approaching the choppers in a pincer movement.

**::Hostile reinforcements inbound, Hunter-2 turning to engage!::**

That's when a pair of Combine gunships arrived, half-mechanical, half-biological, they were essentially living weapons, with the capacity to think and maneuver faster than a conventional aircraft, much like a living organism would. With their accurate fire, the choppers and gunships managed to overcome the enemy.

The skies were clear.

**Somewhere within City 17**

Barney Calhoun was not having a great day. It all started with reports of anamolous activity within Sector-C1. Next thing he knew, they were under attack by the fantasy equivalent of the Roman Empire.

After a brief firefight, his patrol unit came to the conclusion that they were not enough to deal with this threat and executed a fighting retreat, escorting a group of citizens they saved during their retreat. After close run-ins with enemy horsemen ambushing them, they reached a barricade where CP units were consolidating for an organised defense. By the time they arrived there, half of his unit was gone.

There were approximately 5 units' worth of officers beyond the barricade, his half-strength unit included. The odds were stacked against them, a few dozen men against what could possibly be a whole legion coming after them.

**::Fuck this, I'm getting out of here!:: **exclaimed one of the officers, some seemed to agree

**::The hell you are Dave, I'm not going to die out there 'cause you were a pussy!:: **

**::NEWSFLASH ASSHOLE, We're outnumbered and we only have 9mm pistols, what're we going to do when they come knocking, bleed on them?!::**

**::For crying out loud Dave, we couldn't even ask for a more defensible place, you dick, and our guys are on their way, we just have to hold out::**

Barney couldn't let this go on, otherwise the enemy will catch them bickering among themselves, instead of finding a prepared position, that they couldn't take.

**::BOTH OF YOU JUST SHUT THE FUCK UP, we're not going to solve anything by screaming at each-other, what we need is a plan, and our best plan is staying here, if we leave their horsemen will catch us in the open streets, why do you think my unit is at half-strength right now?!::**

That's when they heard rumbling from behind them, their initial panic turned to relief when they saw a pair of their APCs rolling into the square.

**::Heard you guys needed some extra firepower. We've got MP7s in the back, grab 'em and stock up on ammo, Airwatch reports an enemy contingent heading our way.::** said the Officer climbing out of the vehicle.

Those opting for a retreat immediately changed their minds, seeing their comrades disembarking the dark-blue vehicles.

**::Thank God, I'm buying ya a beer once this is over, but sir, we need a plan.::** said Barney.

**::Any ideas?::**

**::We bring 2 units and the APCs outside the barricade while the rest of us man the barricade, supporting the guys in the front.::**

**::Good idea, we have an emplacement machine gun in that APC, there.::**

And so, the officers agreed to the plan, and began preparations swiftly. Just as the last one got in cover in behind one of the APCs, they noticed the sound of feet marching.

**::Come on, you bastards, we're taking you down so hard..::**

**::Don't get too cocky, save your ammo, you're going to need it::**

After minutes of agonising waiting, which felt like years, they finally saw the enemy rounding the corner, almost immediately they charged, with a thunderous warcry. The APCs and the machine gun began firing, the enemy's tight formation making the gunners' jobs much easier, but there were thousands of them charging. They got halfway up the street, paying with blood for every inch, but their morale broke, and soon fled. Some foolhardy horsemen tried to do what the infantry couldn't but they barely made more progress than the infantry.

After that the enemy changed tactics, bringing up their siege weapons in vain, as the APCs' rockets turned them into fireballs, the wood splinter acting like shrapnel, killing many finally seemed to be enough as the enemy turned to retreat.

**::That's right you bastards, run, you've picked the wrong people to fuck with!::**

**::That was liberating.::**

**::Great job people:: **sighed Barney, it looks like they would live for another day.

**Main avenue leading to the Citadel**

The once peaceful street was now a warzone between the Overwatch and the invaders, who charged into their fire time and again, with the same results every time. Sniper teams targeted the officers, throwing the enemy into disarray, while hastily set up machine gun nests spew death almost constantly. The invaders' archers tried to return fire, but they were cut down by precise pulse rifle fire, though ammo was starting to run low, and the enemy was starting to gain ground.

_**Deploy, Reinforce, Intercept in Sector-B4 Code: PRESSURE SWORD STERILIZE**_

**::Overwatch, Hardpoint Nomad requesting Ghostdrop, Hardpoint is close to being overrun::**

**::Overwatch confirm double boomers dispatched inbound, prepare for Skyshield heavy suppression and wrap up.::**

At this point, Combine Annihilation Mortars were brought online, sending beams of energy to satellites above the city, which acted like mirrors, reflecting it back towards the Earth, causing devestating losses for the enemy. Gunships arrived and fired their bellycannons onto the enemy below them, while doing strafing runs, helicopters doing the same but with their bombs. Dropships added to the steel rain on the enemy while their 'cargo' disembarked and joined the fray. Next to arrive were the Striders, whose mere presence seemed to finally push the enemy beyond their breaking point, fleeing in terror.

Throughout the city, similar events played out, the invaders falling apart in the face of the brutal efficiency of the Combine, the last of the invading forces were making a desperate last stand around the plazas, buying time for their comrades to retreat, but they were swept aside and with the arrival of Crab and Mortar synths from the Citadel as well as elite Overwatch Soldiers, the last of the enemy fled back in terror, into the structure from which they came.

Just as quickly as the attack had begun, it ended.

**Author's notes: Whew, it may not seem much, but this took me a while to make, granted this was done in an afternoon, so it probably seems rushed, but I wanted to get it done today. Reviews are appreciated, take care, bye.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello there, we're back at Fantasy Roman Empire vs Interdimensional Alien Dominion, this time with a less action-packed episode, but before that, responses to reviews:**

**-Princess Moon Dew:**** Thank you, and I do plan some Saderan shenanigans as well**  
**-HopefullyHelpful:**** All the things you listed, are indeed happening, honestly I don't know what made you think that this is an AU, I assumed that everyone thought that this is based on the standard canon. P.S.: Already saw those videos, but I rewatched them, and hopefully we'll see a good explanation for the "not immediate dimensional invasion" in this chapter**

**-Thaqif: Not planning to screw this up but if I do, I wasn't aware that I'm screwing it up :D ;in all seriousness I'm planning on adding new stuff, but currently I only have a few ideas, so suggestions are appreciated**  
**-jaalco:**** Thank you, I'm planning to do just that**

**And with that out of the way, let's get straight into it, shall we?**

**Earth, City 17, several hours after the defeat of the invaders**

The city was under a complete lockdown, with a curfew being put in place; anyone not a CP officer or Overwatch soldier caught on the street was immediately apprehended and detained, every single building was thoroughly searched for pockets of enemy resistance of which was few, while Sector-C1 and by extension the Gate itself was in firm Overwatch control, shield generators, machine gun emplacements were set up and 24/7 patrols were ordered, especially around the Gate.

In the street, a unit of CP officers were advancing, their heads on a swivel, expecting an enemy ambush, the streets were eerily quiet. They checked every building they came across, finding them either empty, or with citizens hiding in them, in that case they ID'd them, checked their assign hab-blocks, if they found one whose assigned hab-block was not the one they were hiding in, they were quickly sent their way home, with a harsh reprimand and/or beating, depending on the individual officers' beating quotas.

**::This is getting boring, don't get me wrong I prefer 'boring' to 'intense firefight' but we're just wasting ti-AAAAAAH!::**

That was when they rounded a corner and immediately an arrow lodged itself into the officer's shoulder, followed by a few more, luckily none more managed to hit.

**::Officer 10-99, requesting Code 3 to my 10-20!::**

**::Where did that come from?!::**

**::From that 3-storey building, other end of the street!::**

**::Shit! Dispatch, we have an unknown number of suspects occupying a building at Sector-E7, requesting backup and a MEDEVAC, we have one injured! We'll mark the building with a flare!::**

**::George, you okay?::**

**::Yeah, I'll live, AHAHAAAHAOWW::**

**::George stay here, and wait for MEDEVAC, everyone else, start suppressing them and advance from cover to cover!::**

A few officers stayed behind and strated sprayin'-and prayin' while the rest made a run for whatever cover they could find on the street. The suppression worked relatively well, the accuracy and firing speed of the enemy archers was reduced, albeit the advance was not without close calls.

**::Damn that tore my uniform!::**

**::Jesus Christ who the hell are these guys?::**

**::Shut up and start shooting, so the rear can follow us!::**

**::Come on, move it!::**

The advance was, to put it mildly sloppy and uneven, much like people trying out paintball for the first time. CPs didn't have any training besides the most basics, like how to reload a gun and clear a jam, but besides those, they were walking in the dark. By the time they got moderately close, they suffered another casualty, this time a fatal one, the arrow hit right into the chest of the officer. Another shot a flare up, signalling to their reinforcements.

**::Bastards!::**

**::Officer down, Dispatch we can't keep this up!::**

**::WHERE'RE OUR BLOODY REINFORCEMENTS!?::**

At this moment two APCs came to a screeching halt in front of the building, the Metro Police inside quickly filed out and breached the door, advancing inside, the ones with shields leading the way. What followed was a chaotic room-to-room fighting inside the building. To their enemies' shock their arrows just bounced off the Metrocops' shields while those who opted for melee combat were cut down by automatic MP7 fire. The last remaining half-dozen of legionaires and elven auxiliaries on the top floor saw the futility of their efforts and surrendered, whose faces, then were promptly introduced to the officers' stun batons, fists, and even feet a few times.

**::Hey, Marty, check out the ears of that one.:: ,**one of the Metropolicemen said, hefting one of the elves up, by his lorica hamata, his face a red-purple pulp.

**::Holy shit, is that an actual elf?::**

**::I know, right?::**

**:Never thought I'd see one, let alone this way.::**

**::Aliens invading us is one thing, but goddamned fantasy elves, and all the shit we saw today? The world's now completely upside-fucking-down.::**

**Citadel, roughly the same time**

"Yes, bring them in, dead and alive, doesn't matter, their equipment as well." said the Consul into his radio.

"The city has been secured, sir, all the remaining pockets of enemy resistance are being mopped up as we speak." he said, turning towards Breen.

"Very good, Consul. Now, if you'd please follow me. We have a meeting with the Advisors."

The Consul gulped, but reluctantly followed the Administrator and his guards into the waiting elevator. Even though he never had to be in their presence, since all of the discussions in which he was involved were done via computer, they were still sending shivers down his spine. He couldn't imagine what it was like to be in the presence of one, like Breen did regularly.

"Don't be alarmed, it'll be one of our standard meetings through computer, they have been already briefed about today's events, but I must ask you this, Consul: Can I trust you?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good, then help me convince them."

"About what, sir?" asked the Consul intrigued and worried at the same time.

"You'll see, my friend."

The elevator doors opened, and they walked into the "conference room". At the far side was one of the Combine's signature computers, it's screen already split up and showing the Shu'ulathois or Advisors. In front of it was a table with 2 seats. A "speech-to-text translator" device was set up for the Consul, since the only person on Earth who could understand them without augmentation was the Administrator.

_"We'll keep this short; your current orders are to hold this side of the portal and conduct exploration using robotic scanners until further notice. That is all." _wrote the translator.

"If I might object, I believe that our current forces, on this side are sufficient in taking control of the planet beyond. I humbly request that you give our species this chance to prove ourselves as part of the Union." Breen interrupted.

_"Your opinion has been noted, Administrator. Your orders are unchanged."_

"Gentlemen if I might give my own opinion on this matter, the methods and modus operandi of these attackers have a striking resemblance with one of the empires in our species' history, a rather well-documented one at that, even the main species in their army is the same as us, humans. Furthermore, their level of technology is thousands of years behind the Transhuman Overwatch's own. If I may be so bold, I would say our weapons seem like magic to them." said the Consul.

"Trust us, we will bring that planet under the Universal Union's rule." added Breen.

What followed was a several-minute long discussion between the Advisors, during this period the translator was shut off, the sound was muted and the images were blurred. After an intense waiting that felt like years to the pair of humans, everything returned to normal.

_"Normally this would result in the termination of your duties and the downgrading of your species to Class-0, and would be brought off-world for processing. But you have convinced some of us, in conjuncture with the difficulties of opening a new portal better suited for a Level-5 invasion of our liking. In short, you have your chance, but make no mistake, once your forces cross to the other side, we will want results and we will want them fast. Major failure in either this or the far side will have serious consequences for both you and your species. Invasion parameters will be given to you within the 7th to 14th planetary rotations. That is all. _

And with that, the meeting abruptly ended. The Administrator sighed a huge sigh of relief, and stood up, while the Consul could do nothing but sit dumbstruck about what transpired just a few minutes ago.

"Sir, what just happened?" asked the still sitting Consul, his mind in overdrive.

"We have taken the first step on the route to our species' salvation, Consul."

"I- I don't understand Administrator, how could this help us?"

"This invasion, that Gate is a blessing in disguise, Consul, if we offer them an entirely new world on a silver plate, we will be in their dept, and our species' future within the Union will be secured."

"But why don't they just open up portals to the other side like they did with Earth? Why can't they do that?"

"To answer that question, you must understand how the Union conducts interdimensional invasions. I will spare you the mathematics and theoretical physics, but in a nutshell when the Union detects a previously unseen dimensional rift, they not just have to understand how it came to be, they also have to "untangle" it. Like a thread that you have to turn into a clew, but much more complicated than that, of course. The portal storms on earth were a moderately common phenomena to the Union, so they just had to make minor changes to their methods. That was aided by the fact that their points of origin was Xen, a dimension that is connected to most, if not all known dimensions, in one way or another. It is called "The Borderworld" for a reason. That Gate down there utilizes a method that, miraculously, have never been encountered by the Union, it would take them a decade to find a way into that dimension, which is now our saving grace."

"Sir, I hope you realise that the Overwatch at the present moment is not equipped to carry out an interplanetary invasion."

"Yes, Consul, which is why you are tasked with making changes and reforms to the Transhuman Overwatch that will help our invasion go as smooth as possible, with prior consulting with our Advisors and Benefactors, of course."

"When do I start, sir?"

"Tomorrow, today was stressful enough for the both of us, I believe."

The Consul saluted the Administrator before turning to leave for his office.

_"Clever, opportunistic bugger he is, though I am excited about this, I like a challenge." _were the thoughts of the Consul before the elevator doors closed, returning him back to his duties.

**Falmart, legionary fort at the base of Alnus Hill, one and a half weeks after the expedition across the gate**

Cornelius Severus was, unlike his comrades, conscripted into the Imperial Army, Legio XVI, to be exact. He has been in service for roughly one and a half years. His training, while harsh, was helped by his previous life in his village, where everyday hard work was a fact of life. His first campaign was to the north of the Empire's borders, against the various barbaric tribes there, human or otherwise. Following that rather successful campaign was the expedition across the Gate.

It was a disaster, perhaps one of the worst defeats the Empire has ever suffered. Despite initial successes, the invasion was bogged down by the superior aerial monsters and creatures the enemy used, which decimated their Wyvern Corps. His leaders were still optimistic, thanks to the swift advance against the enemy's militia forces, who peppered them with strange, loud magic from their staffs, but ultimately they were inferior in close combat. They also used strange red-eyed flying contraptions with spinning blades attached to them. The nobles on horseback scoffed at this, 'cowardly savages who can't face us honourably' he heard one of them say. Of course they weren't the ones who had to deal with several of them at once. The deep cuts on his thigh were proof of that. Thank La and Nirvene for their milites medici.

The more he and his cohort advanced, the tougher, and more desperate the enemy resistance became. They also encountered, what he assumed to be the real army of the enemy. Their methods were not too different from the militias, but their magic was far more devestating, a single contubernium of them able to decimate his cohort, they continued to cast their magic even when they had arrows lodged into their limbs. Their advance came to a standstill, until the enemy's 3-legged giants arrived, roaring like an elephant, they seemed invincible, their magicks causing devestating damage to those foolhardy enough to continue their assault, and that's when their advance collapsed.

He couldn't remember exactly what happened next. The screams of his comrades, the loud booms of the enemy's weapons, the roars of their monsters, the cold, emotionless, inhuman voices of the enemy themselves kept echoing in his mind since that day. If it wasn't for the quick thinking of his centurion, he thought, he wouldn't be alive right now.

At the moment he was contemplating what to do, having been awoken from another nightmare. For Emroy's sake he saw his comrades reduced to nothing in beams of light with his own eyes, and at the moment he could only think about one thing.

_Curses, curses upon the Army, curses upon the nobles who turned tail at the first sign of trouble, and curses upon the selfish Emperor!_

He had enough, and he knew that retaliation is coming, and personally he wasn't too keen on experiencing the offensive might of their otherworldly adversaries. He made his mind up. He would make his escape from the camp tonight.

He was going home.

**Author's notes: Hey, ladies and gents, hope you enjoyed this chapter. Originally, I planned this chapter to be a bit longer, but I didn't want to keep you guys waiting, and I had ideas I wanted to implement before I forgot them. Anyways, if you'd like longer chapters with more waiting in between, feel free to write it down in your review. Suggestions and reviews are appreciated, as always. See y'all next time with a chapter of "pre-invasion preparations" for both sides. Until then, take care and goodbye!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello guys and gals, we're back at it, and if not in this chapter then the invasion WILL begin in the 5th, I promise you all. This chapter will be about planning for the most part. So without further ado, let's get straight to it.**

**Falmart, legionary fort at Alnus hill**

Cornelius Severus had an easier time sneaking out of the camp than he'd thought, a lot of the legionaires on guard duty were part of the expedition, and had the same restless nights as he did, which made them tired, and lethargic. Everything went well, until he reached the eastern gate. The guards posted there wouldn't just let him through, if he was caught, he would be executed at best and his cohort would be decimated at worst, and he was sure that he would be one of the people being killed in said decimation. Luckily for him, the only guard that night was a trusted friend of his, Flavius.

"Hey, Cornelius wanna- what _are_ you doing?" his cheerful face greeting him quickly turned suspicious upon seeing Cornelius' thick backpack on his back.

"I'm going home, I can't keep this up."

"What are you talking about, you're deserting? You know what the consequences of that are if you get caught, right?"

"I know, but the nightmares are just too much, and don't act like you're not having them also." -the dark bags under Flavius' eyes were proof of that- "So I'm going home, I miss it. I miss my wife, I miss my daughter, I miss my old friends from the village, I miss everything about my life before the Army. Even working from sunrise to sundown on the fields under the scorching sun."

"Okay, let's say you leave, what then, the Otherworlders are sure to retaliate, and we need every available soldier here. What will you do if we fail and they reach your home?"

"You saw what they are capable of, what we have here is not enough, not by a long shot, _and_ they could be amassing for an attack as we speak! And I'm not planning on dying here. By the way, it was you who wanted any part of this, not me, I was conscripted, and I'm not a cattle to be sent into the slaughter on the whim of some emperor who hardly cares about us.

"I understand I truly do Cornelius, but what are you going to do, I mean how will you get there?"

"I'll make my way to Italica, then join the first trade caravan going through Segundum; and if I catch news of the Otherworlders successfully invading the hill, I'll tell my family to pack up. Last I heard the Cessanian provinces are rather peaceful and there's a need of settlers there."

"Well, good luck to you."

"What you're not coming?"

"I can't my friend, the Legion is my family. The only one I have left. I can't just turn my back on my comrades."

"Ok. I understand. Will you cover for me?"

"You have my word."

"Thank you friend, good luck to you."

"Good luck to you too, brother." said Flavius while giving a brotherly hug to Cornelius "Don't you dare forget about me, Cornelius, okay,"

"Never, brother. I'll keep you in my prayers" said Cornelius, struggling with his tears.

And with that, Cornelius departed and soon disappeared into the night.

**Earth, City 17, Citadel, one week after the opening of the Gate**

The Consul was busy, busier than usual. Afterall, he had a military organisation to reorganize, and implement reforms within. The Benefactors surprisingly were agreeable on most of his proposals, giving him extensive freedom of execution.

The enemy prisoners and dead were also examined and had their memory extracted, giving the Combine more proof that their enemy operated just like Ancient Romans. This also meant that their language was translated, and were implanted into the minds of Overwatch soldiers who were planned to be brought to the other side, in case they had to communicate with the locals.

First thing that came to the Consul's mind was a new aerial gunship, designed to work in a similar manner to dropships, but built with more emphasis on armament and armor, to provide it with better capabilities for supporting ground units, with less troop-carrying capacity, in contrast to the dropship's more transport-orientated role. The creation of the new gunship was done by feeding the blueprints of the Mil Mi-24 Hind and other similar helicopters into a Combine computer, tasked with "modernizing" pre-Black Mesa Incident weapons to Combine standards for Earth. The result was a combat helicopter armed with a pulse-machinegun which is used in its' Hunter-chopper counterpart, missiles and bombs, and with a troop-carrying capacity of 3. There are also closable weapon slits for the soldiers in the troop compartment. The first such gunships, designated 'Vultures' were completed within hours, and were field tested on rebel bases and headcrab-infested zones. The results, as expected, were resoundingly successful.

The second thing that was implemented was the creation of the Transhuman Overwatch Combat Engineering Corps, tasked with supporting regular Overwatch soldiers with the construction and demolition of fortifications, bunkers, bridges and barricades. Combat Engineers are equipped with regular Overwatch arms, though Mp-7s and SPAS-12 shotguns are their most common weapons. They also carry 5 grenades per individual trooper, troopers equipped with MP7s also have 6 grenades for their underbarrel grenade launchers, -in contrast with regular soldiers who have 3-, in addition to regular explosives, and field engineering equipment. Their uniforms are also distinct, with green tint and markings.

Thirdly, the artillery capabilities of the Overwatch had to be improved. There weren't any satellites on the other side of the Gate, making their Annihilation Mortars useless, until they gained a foothold there. So they needed something more direct. The creation of new artillery guns had the same methods utilized with the creation of the Vulture gunship. Only this time, the computer received the blueprints of howitzers, field guns and other types of field artillery, such as the Archer, the Pzh 2000 and the KRAB artillery systems; the computer was tasked with rolling all of the blueprints into one model, using combine technology available on Earth. It resulted in the creation of a 152mm-calibre gun-howitzer capable of firing at a rate of 28 shells per 3.5 minutes, with a maximum range of 55 km. Said shells are sensor-fused and precision-guided, and contain a capsule of dark-energy plasma in addition to it's HE core. Essentially making it into the artillery version of the AR2/OSIPR The artillery system is designed so that an APC can tow it, and dropships are capable of carrying it in its compact form. The artillery system is equipped with automatic loading and targeting systems, -though these tasks can be performed manually as well, if the situation requires it- bringing the minimum crew down to 2. The artillery system was designated 'Hellion'. The first batteries were completed within days and were field tested on rebels and antlion hordes. The results were deemed successful.

Several more reforms and projects had their groundworks layed, and would be implemented once the need has arisen for them, but for now, these were sufficient.

All these changes were for naught if there weren't any soldiers to operate the new equipment and fulfill the new roles, so CP officers across the globe were recruited and transformed into Overwatch soldiers -numbers were high as by now the news have spread across the globe-, as well as citizens arrested for grave offences such as rape and murder. Captured rebel fighters also had the same fate. Their memories and mind wiped, replaced with combat tactics and maneuvers and unwavering loyalty to the Union.

The Consul was filling 'paperwork' -reports, proposals to the Advisors, you name it- thankfully he was assisted by an administrative AI graciously assigned to him by the Advisors. His work was interrupted by a video call from said Advisors. He quickly accepted it. On his screen was divided with images of the "faces" of the Shu'ulathoi. he also noticed Breen was part of this call.

_"Invasion approved. Parameters: maximum indigenous casualties: 4 000 000 000, not including indigenous military forces. Primary Objective: Subjugation and/or destruction of the native country of the "Saderan Empire" within the first 35 planetary rotations of the invasion (from your point of view), these numbers are subject to change based on reports from the invasion force due to lack of information. Following the achieving of Primary Objective, your task is expanding the borders of the Union on the planet by subjugation and/or destruction of any neighbouring indigenous nations, until the entire planet is under control." _wrote the Consul's screen. Neither him, nor the Administrator dared to object or interrupt because they were already stretching their patience thin, and these terms so far were relatively reasonable and acceptable.

_"To achieve said tasks, Overwatch personnel with a maximum number of 15 000 are approved as initial invasion force, accompanied by synthetic and mechanical assets you currently have access to, as well as anything you can gain access to during the invasion. You are also authorized to deploy the offworld synthetic units that assisted in the initial attack; both on the other side of the portal and on this planet. In addition, you can request the recall and redeployment of an Overwatch unit currently on offworld-duty. Invasion is to commence between the following 14th-19th planetary rotations. All of your reports concerning the invasion will go through us to our Overseer. Failure to achieve objectives will result the dismantling of your species. That is all."_ And with that the Advisors hung up.

"So we're really doing this, Dr."

"Yes, Consul. I trust you can gather our forces for the invasion in the coming 2 weeks?"

"Yes sir. I must say the troops are quite eager, me included. You know, when I was first assigned as Consul, I thought I would be directing the elimination of rebels and mopping up zombie hordes and antlion nests. And maybe reclaiming Xenian wildlife out. Not with leading an invasion into a fantasy world."

"Indeed, my friend. Don't forget that the fate of our species is decided by this operation. You know what the alternatives are, if you can call them that."

"Yes, Dr. You can trust me, and you can trust our soldiers."

"Thank you, Consul. Good luck to you." and with that Breen ended his call as well.

_Back to the boring part, no rest for the wicked _mused the Consul.

**Falmart, Imperial Capital City of Sadera, Imperial Palace, 11 days after the expedition across the Gate**

Legate Sextus Galba was on the road with his entourage to the capital, to personally give his report to the Emperor, Molt Sol Augustus. They were almost constantly on the move, their tired horses replaced at Imperial posts along the way with fresh, rested ones. The Emperor and the Senate had to know about the dangers beyond the Gate as soon as possible.

He was the legatus of Legio XVI, and the de-facto general of what remained of the expeditionary force, after the death of General Constantinus, who held the Gate against the enemy until the end, allowing him and many others to escape. At the moment, Claudius Tullus, his second-in-command was commanding the forces around the hill.

Currently he was waiting to be admitted into the Throne Room, his anxiety was almost palpable. After a period of waiting that felt like forever the guards finally opened the doors for him.

At the far side of the Throne Room was sitting the Emperor himself in his majestic throne, accompanied by his two sons and his daughter; Prince Zorzal El Caesar, Prince Diabo El Caesar and Princess Piña Co Lada, in all their royal splendour, flanked by guards.

He made his way before them, immediately kneeling in their presence, bowing his head.

"Your majesty, I have terrible news; the expedition has been a total failure, out of the 12 legions that set forth only, 3 have remained capable of fighting, morale is at an all-time low and desertion has been posing significant problems, no matter the public floggings the decimations, the promises of extra payment, nothing seems to help."

"How did this happen, Legate?" was the response of the Emperor

"Their weapons, their magic, they outclassed us in almost every way. We easily dealt with their militias, but their flying monstrosities eliminated our wyverns, and their soldiers reacted quickly to our attack, their training was on par with our praetorians, our beasts were no match to theirs... Their weapons all did the same magic; loud pops accompanied by flashes and lightning-fast blue darts coming out of their black staffs. We had no choice, we had to retreat-"

"COWARD! You should have shown those savages the meaning of Saderan honour and held your ground, like Constantinus did! You are a disgrace to the Saderan people! YOU-" shouted the infuriated Zorzal.

"That's enough Zorzal," intervened Molt "defeats tend to happen in war, but no matter, no one can stand against the Saderan Legions. Those Otherworlders will learn soon enough. And as for you Legate, you are to hold the Holy Hill of Alnus, 6 legions will be sent there to lend aid. Do not let them take a foot of our soil. Is that clear, Legate?"

"Yes, my liege, and I forgot to mention that enemy prisoners were captured, around 200. They are on their way to Sadera's slave markets. We also acquired some of their weapons, they are on their way to Rondel as we speak."

"Very well, Legate. You are dismissed."

Galba stood, saluted and made his way out of the Throne Room.

"Father this new enemy, I have no doubt that this is the offset of a new crisis." said Diabo, who was quiet during all of this.

"You already want to surrender, brother?" asked Zorzal

"Of course not, Zorzal, it's just that I have a bad feeling about this."

"I share your concerns my son, but not your pessimism. Our soldiers' numbers, training and equipment are second to none. Saderan might and way of life will prevail in the end, like it always has. _Saderas Invicta!_

**Author's notes: And that concludes this chapter, it might not be good but I'm trying my best. I also have not one, but two requests to you, dear Reader. **

**Firstly, help me expand the world of the Gate, since I'm planning on detailing the Overwatch's invasion of the ****_entire planet I_****'ll have come up with some new factions, empires and regions, since there isn't a lot of lore about the world beyond the Saderan Empire, so I must ask you this: Should the world beyond the Gate be similiar to our own at the peak of the Roman Empire with humans being the dominant species and fantasy elements thrown in the mix here and there, or should I make it into a Warhammer fantasy/Warcraft -like world with an abundance of fantasy species, elements, and whatnot? Suggestions are appreciated.**

**Secondly, since the Gods of Falmart are not going to be happy about the Combine's invasion, they're bound to run into some troubles. Firtsly, Giselle will awaken the Dragon, though not immediately, and the Combine will need some sort of air-superiority fighter. I want you to come up with that fighter, it can be similiar to our own jets, it can be a synth, it can be a completely autonomous drone, whatever you want it to be. You get to come up with its' abilities, weapons, speed, everything. Just don't make it too OP. If I can't decide which one'll be the winner, I'll take inspiration from ALL of them to some degree. **

**Anyways that's it from me for now, take care and I'll entertain you next time with a cross-dimensional invasion in the next episode. Until then, goodbye!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello there everyone! As promised the invasion is now commencing, and (if everything goes as planned) there will be a lot of action sequences in this chapter. But before that, responses to reviews:**

**-hellisonfire345: Thanks for all the suggestions,, an Oriental Empire will be present in the future, as well as a Falmartian collaborationist faction, also 15.000 is just the first wave, {MINOR SPOILER ALERT} once reinforcements from offworld and Earth arrive and subjugated armies will be 'retrained' that number will rise sky-high.{Alert End}**

**-Davin111: Thanks, for both liking this story and the fighter suggestion, I'll might need more stuff in the future so I'll be sure to notify you when that happens**

**-TheQuestionedOne: Thank you, I checked them out, we'll see what I can come up with in that aspect, as for tanks, well... The striders and crab synths kind of fill in that role, so I don't think a new one will be required for quite some time**

**-Kamerad Hans: I completely agree, but I don't think there'll be a lot of covert-ops here, not 'spectacular' enough to impress the Combine, they didn't really do anything like that when they invaded Earth as far as I'm concerned. As for the suggestion for fighter, thank you, the idea sounds really good, some elements will be incorporated into the "final product"**

**-HopefullyHelpful: No problem, dude. Your suggestion sounds really good, thank you very much, but I don't think there's enough time for that in between the invasion and call to arms by the Empire. But it definitely sounds interesting, I'll make use of it in the future with another (set of) nation(s).**

**-Lex: Thank you, interesting suggestions, honestly, I kind of based the Combine fort on Lambda Wars combine buildings and the like, as for the thing with the gods, that definitely sounds interesting, maybe I'll incorporate it in some way into the story**

**That's it for now, and without further ado, here it goes..**

**Falmart, legionary fort at Alnus hill, 3 weeks after the expedition into the Gate**

Sextus Galba arrived back to the fort just in time to see the 6 promised legions arrive, marching in a long column. It was a glorious sight to behold, 36000 legionaires and auxiliary warriors, hardened veterans from many campaigns, stretching as far as the horizon. With the 3 remaining legions at his disposal he now had command over 54000 men, but the legions came with a gift, specifically 15000 gifts; 15000 mercenaries that the legions could get their hands on on their way to the hill, including, but not limited to elven archers, dwarven pikemen, orc axemen, ogres, and goblin javelineers, slingers, and other skirmishing light infantry. The latter 3 unsurprisingly needed very little payment, the promise of carnage and loot being enough payment, with this he now had 69000 men. That, he believed, was more than enough to hold the enemy in place. With his camp being a mere 800 meters from the Gate, he could rapidly deploy his troops, encircling the enemy before they had time to deploy from the Gate, and thanks to the narrow confines, would be bogged down and eventually massacred.

His train of thought came to a halt when he saw Claudius Tullus approaching him, saluting before speaking.

"Legatus, a word please, I have reports from our scouts that I think you should hear."

"Yes Tullus, what would be it?"

"Our scouts report human-shaped transparent ghosts in the forests around the hill, only their eyes and mouths were clear. When the scouts went after them they only came up with nothing, or they didn't come back."

"Keep this from the men a secret for now, especially from the 3 legions that were originally here, we have enough problems with morale as it is. The only exceptions are our scouts, but you must make them swear secrecy about this before you tell them this. I trust you already know about our battleplans once the Otherworlders come?"

"Yes Legatus, the men are drilled and know their place once the battle begins. I have also taken the liberty to send messengers to the other legates and mercenary commanders to tell them about our plan."

"Very good Tullus, if everything goes as planned victory will be ours. _Saderas Invicta!_"

"I agree, Legatus. _Saderas Invicta!_"

**Meanwhile, inside the camp**

Flavius was not liking the situation, not by a long shot. Everyone knew that the Otherworlders would retaliate. It was just a question of when, and with rmours from the scouts circulating the camp about ghosts watching them at every opportunity, he was getting more and more sure about an attack coming. Of course, they had plans. Encircle and charge the enemy before they even knew where they were, and slay them in close-quarters combat. Of course the generals came up with this idea, they weren't there when they were fighting on the other side. They didn't see those blue and orange-eyed demons striking into his centurion's scutum with the back end of their staffs, breaking his shield arm and neck in the same way, in quick succession, they didn't witness a full plate-armored knight getting impaled by one of those 3-legged gigantic monstrosities.

The generals weren't blind to the fact that an attack is certain at any moment, and ordered their men to sleep in their armor, and their arms within their hands' reach. But even so, the more time passed, the more he understood why Cornelius fled. The waiting and the tension that came with it slowly grinded his nerves to dust. Right now he was getting ready to sleep in his tent with the 6 others in his contubernium, the last thing he layed eyes on before he fell asleep was the empty bed of Cornelius. If Emroy sees fit, they shall have one last peaceful night.

**Earth, City 17, Sector-C1 central plaza, 3 weeks after the opening of the Gate**

The invasion force has been assembled. 15 000 soldiers, veterans of many excursions into the wilderness beyond city borders and safe zones, into rebel-controlled zones, infested areas by various Xenian lifeforms, oftentimes the latter two were one and the same. And they survived, not only that, they were triumphant, further solidifying humanity's place within the Union. Soon, they would take their next step on that route. There were only minutes remaining until mankind's next giant leap that would be their saving grace from extinction, advancing humanity to a new era.

All of the troops were awaiting the order, the plans were drawn up, everyone knew what they were about to do, the only thing missing was the green light. That was until a podium was brought in, then Dr. Wallace Breen showed up, and took his place on it, the Consul and his guards at his side. The Administrator of Earth would address them directly, and the troopers eagerly listened.

"You have been selected for this operation as the best humanity has to offer. However, while our Benefactors and I have no doubt about that, especially after the major blows you've dealt to the Resistance, there's still one more thing we must do to prove ourselves as an indispensable part of the Union. I have done my best to convince our Benefactors that you are the perfect candidates as proof for that. The burden of proof now is upon your shoulders, and the chance to prove it is behind me, in the so-called Gate. Immortality of our species has never been closer to us than in this present moment, and with your help it will only come closer and closer, until the day of a new age for our species will dawn, an age where we're truly part of the Universal Union, an age where the threat of extinction is but a distant echo of the past, an age where humanity's full potential is discovered and put to the best possible use, and to achieve that, I only request one thing from you, members of the Transhuman Arms of Earth's Overwatch. Serve! Serve mankind! Serve the Universal Union!

The response was a unanimous, perfectly synchronized salute, the sounds of which echoed throughout the streets. The Administrator stepped down from the podium, whose place was taken by the Consul.

"Several of our Special Forces Teams have been deployed to the other side. According to their reports, there's a large enemy camp just outside the deployment zone, therefore contact with the enemy is to be expected from the moment you reach the other side. Once the engagement has begun, special forces will target the enemy leadership, your task is to defeat the enemy main force, fortify the other side, and stand by for further orders from your commanding officers. That is all."

Following the consul's briefing, the podium was removed, and a message was relayed to every Overwatch soldier.

**::All units, invasion is a go, repeat invasion is a go, stabilization teams, Savage, Payload, Sweeper, Dagger, Hunter, Hammer, Mace embark, and make crossjump.::**

The troops assigned to the first wave embarked into their APCs, while 10 Crab Synths went into the gate in a 2 by 5 column, followed by 10 Striders, 'crouching' and in single file. The APCs were bringing up the rear, with more troopers being on standby ready to assist their comrades in a moment's notice.

Soon, the darkness of the gate enveloped them, the only sources of light were the APCs searchlights, but only that was needed. The synths could make their way even in total darkness. Soon, a light was seen on the other side that kept expanding. Every one of them knew what that meant. The light soon became blindingly bright, and the first pair of Crabs crept out of the portal onto a hill, the nighttime sky above them filled with thousands of stars. They were followed by their brethren and the Striders, once the APCs arrived and the soldiers within them quickly dismounted, taking up positions around the Gate, the first wave forming a crescent around the portal.

**:Weapons off-safe, report all radials free.:**

At that moment, the entire base of the hill lit up with the flames of thousands of torches, silhouettes of wverns visible above them.

**:Viscon viscon, bearing 270 to 40 degrees, range 800 meters!:**

**:Overwatch Sector 1 is infected, repeat Sector 1 is not secure!:**

**:Overwatch orders 6cc stim boost:**

**:Executing full response:**

The calls and roars of Striders and Crabs were heard above the frantic radio chatter.

The sun was rising above the mountains behind them; the dawn of a new age. The Imperials were scurrying to and fro, quickly organizing into their formations, and advancing.

**(Soundtrack: Something Secret steers us {extended remix 2.0 by System Overlord})**

**:Natives at 750 meters:**

They advanced. Boldly, confidentially.

**:Natives at 675 meters:**

Why wouldn't they? The enemy were few, and out of formation. This would be a quick victory.

**:Natives at 600 meters, fire weapons!:**

On that day they were proven wrong. The sun rose above the battlefield, and all hell broke loose.

**:Hammer 2, engaging:**

**:Hunter, suppressing:**

**:Sweeper Zero, firing:**

Striders fired, Crabs let loose their underbelly pulse-gatlingcannons, tearing into the enemy's tight formations, causing devestating damage APCs added their own fire to the cacophony, all the while the soldiers let bullet after bullet fly towards their foes.

The legions quickly caught up to what was happening and quickened their pace, devolving into a mass charge towards the Combine forces. Soon even the resemblance of the previous orderly advance was lost in the stampede. All in favour of the invaders, their accurate fire killing by the hundreds. The wyverns fared better, flying undetectable. For a while at least.

**:Enemy air inbound!:**

The APCs shifted their focus, targeting their flying adversaries.

**:Target locked, RPE away!**

Rockets flew, hitting wyverns left and right, but some missed, and the beasts gunned straight for the Striders, which responded with close range pulse fire, one charging up it's dark energy cannon, hitting an incoming wyvern point blank, just in time.

Yet, in spite of all the damage they were taking, the enemy didn't give up, every fallen soldier's place being taken by 5 more.

**:Natives approaching 350 meter mark!:**

**:En-extractor away!:**

The few Elites fired the energy balls from their AR2s, cutting swaths out of the enemy's formation, which only seemed to enrage them more.

**:Overwatch, requesting immediate reserve activation!:**

After a short while reinforcements arrived. More soldiers, more Striders, Crabs, and Hellion guns, which were quickly set up by their crews. By that time the enemy was so close that even without augmentation the soldiers could see the white in the eyes of the charging imperials.

**:Ready charges!:**

**:Extractor away!:**

Grenades were thrown into the mass, sending body parts and dirt flying everywhere. Taking advantage of the situation, the Striders, like war elephants of a past(/present?) time countercharged the enemy, impaling some on their way, softening the enemy's charge up. The soldiers only had a few enemies making a break through the gaps in the Striders' formation to take care of.

From that point forward the battle devolved more and more into a chaotic slaughter.

**Meanwhile**

Small teams of Combine assassins were patiently waiting in the cover of the night, waiting for the signal to be given. Soon their main force started trickling through the portal. Naturally the Imperials engaged. Soon they too received green light, their teams stalking towards the enemy's rear lines and camp.

**(Soundtrack: Opposing Force: Bust)**

Under the cover of battle, they moved silently. Their targets were the camp itself and the enemy leader. They were to capture him. Alive. Under the watchful eyes of their snipers, the first team reached the fort's walls. The Imperials had left a token force defending the camp, in case they needed a place to retreat to. Currently, said guardians were watching the battle unfold, unaware of the ghosts encircling their camp. The few guards at the side gates were quickly dropped by the snipers, the assassins rushing inside, planting explosives below the walls, inside the barracks, storages and various other buildings.

**:Charges armed and set, ready to exfil:**

Just as quickly as they got in, they left, the unfortunate souls within the camp were completely unaware of their doings, until it was too late.

Meanwhile the second team was stalking the enemy Legatus and his bodyguards, who were directing or at least trying to direct the battle. Messengers were going to and fro, no doubt relaying orders to their cohorts and alae of cavalry. The time has come to cut off the head of the snake.

The assigned marksman loaded a tranquilizer shot into his rifle, aiming for the spot between the Legatus' helmet and armor, the crosshairs settling onto his unprotected neck. He fired and the shot flew straight, the Legatus immediately falling from his horse, rendered unconscious even before he hit the ground. Before his guards could react, they were cut down by silenced submachine gun fire from all sides

**:Helix Vector Tango contained, ready for wrap-up:**

The enemy didn't realize the disappearance of their leader until the orders stopped coming, soon the confident Imperials would turn into a panicked mob, desperate for an escape that would never come.

**Just outside the Gate, Falmartian side**

**(Soundtrack: Black Mesa: Questionable Ethics 1)**

**:Natives on top of our radials, Overwatch we have encountered heavy resistance!:**

The enemy was now within 150 meters and closing, the shotgunners, who were, until now, relaying orders to their squads joined the fray, sending pellets after pellets into the enemy's formations. This time, however their fire didn't go unanswered. Archer cohorts managed to form up, and loosed volleys of arrows towards the Combine positions.

**:Displace!:**

**:Ripcord! Ripcord!:**

**:Dagger-4, one down, one down!:**

Arrows were not the only problem the soldiers had to deal with, ogres dragged ballistas in range, which sent rocks weighing 100 kilogramms each flying towards the Combine lines. Luckily they were inaccurate, only sending a few soldiers scurrying away before the rocks hit. The Hellions gave their answer soon enough, entire batteries going up in flames, their crew vaporized in an instant.

At that point the enemy seemed to panick more and more, their Legatus were nowhere to be seen, the other Legates were killed by redirected sniper fire, orders were not coming, and the enemy fire just got deadlier the closer they got. That was when their beasts charged down the hill, impaling the few brave or foolish enough not to get out of their way. Suddenly a series of explosions were heard, those who looked back saw their camp going up in flames. The enemy got behind them!

**:That's it! Wrap it up!:**

Panick spread like wildfire, the a few of the remaining tribunes tried to rally the troops, but to no avail, once the first cohorts started routing, others followed suit, and soon the entire army chain-routed, pursued by Combine fire.

In just 2 hours, the Universal Union gained a foothold in a new world, the ones sent to oppose them either dead or too terrified to even speak about what happened that day.

**Author's notes: And that's it for today folks, hope you enjoyed. Autumn break is coming to an end here, where I live, so I won't be able to post new chapters as frequently as I have in the past couple of days. Hopefully I'll be able to update the story weekly, but i'm not promising anything.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey there, and welcome back, hope you guys and gals had a good day, and as always, before we start, responses to reviews:**

** -Davin111: Indeed, and thank you**

** -Artyom-Dreizehn: If it does, it's not all that spectacular, at least from my point of view influenced by the game.**

** -Guest: Yes, it was, I'll try not to make mistakes like these, but this is still my first fanfic, so these things are bound to happen**

** -Roboman: Well, the rebels entering the scene would certainly make things more interesting, but I think it's completely unrealistic, the Gate is heavily guarded, and the rebels are being pushed back due to the Overwatch's extension of manpower and equipment. They don't really have the resources to spare for opening a portal to another world, let alone expanding their operations there**

**-44: I'm doing my best**

**That's all for now, so here we go..**

**Falmart, Alnus Hill approx. 5 hours after the battle**

Overwatch forces have finished their mop-up operations and the order to dispose of the bodies was given, which was carried out by the engineers blasting a hole into the ground a few hundred meters from the Gate, filling it with flammable materials, setting them on fire, and throwing the bodies inside. Problem was that not all of them were dead, there were mortally wounded, but definitely alive soldiers among the dead, some were completely uninjured and were just unconscious, and they all tried to get out of the burning pit, screaming all the way. It got so bad that a few soldiers had to be stationed there for the duration, to kick the burning wretches back inside.

They weren't worried about potentially lost intelligence in the brains of the survivors. They apparently captured the general of the army they faced, and his memory was being thoroughly scanned in the Citadel on the other side of the portal, and that was all the intel they needed.

Meanwhile the troops who weren't bringing the dead to the pit were busying themselves with construction work. The first Combine fort on Falmart was starting to rise up from around the Gate, with barracks, munitions depots, and motor pools for the APCs set up around the Gate. The fort had 3 layers of defense. The first layer consisted of arrays of Hellion batteries around the camp, protected by shield generators. The second layer consisted of bunkers and pulse gun emplacements, accompanied by earthworks for the APCs. The third and outermost layer consisted of trenches, dugouts and foxholes, screened by Hopper mines. Further plans were drawn up for the fort of course; complete walls with watchtowers, an 800-meter tall command center _(imagine it like one the "mini-citadels of Lambda Wars), _satellite launch platforms for the Annihilation mortars and recon of course, hangars for Airwatch units, which would be brought through the portal in time, and headcrab canister silos.

**Earth, City 17, Citadel, approx. at the same time**

The Consul has just received the reports about the first engagement with native military forces on the other side of the Gate. The results were a resounding success; more than 60.000 casualties suffered by the enemy and a captured enemy leader, with basically no losses suffered by the Overwatch. The entrance to the primitive world has been secured, and construction for an outpost has already begun, which would later turn into a full-fledged fortress. He was currently discussing the possibility and parameters of a new military-focused initiative for the Overwatch, namely combat medics. The fact that the other side was technologically backwards and had just seen modern technology meant that a reliable source of medical supplies was next to impossible to find, meaning that injured soldiers would not reach an auto-healing station in time, necessitated medical personnel embedded within standard units. So far, what they've agreed upon was that the uniform of these troops would be red-tinted, and their main weapons would consist of MP7 submachine guns and 9mm pistols. He also thought of equipping one soldier per unit with and additional RPG as counter against the 'wyverns' which the natives were so fond of, but that could wait for now.

He just received a message, the memory scan of the captured enemy general ha just been completed. He quickly copied it over to his personal Union-issued tablet and started reading it while making his way to the elevator that would take him to the interrogation room. He knew what his job would be with him.

When he arrived into the room, he was surprised to see an Advisor already waiting for him, it looks like they would personally supervise his deal with the indigenous general. He quickly opened his translator program. Just in case it wanted to address him. It didn't. It just silently followed him inside and took it's place next to the control consol. The Consul turned to the stalker monitoring the general's sleep.

"Wake him up." he ordered, and the creature obliged.

Within seconds the general jolted awake, pulling at his restraints until he noticed the Consul and the Advisor watching him.

"Wha- what is this? Where am I, you barbarian savages! If torture is what you planned, you won't get a single word out of me! The Empire will be victorious! We will conquer your weak nation, just like the nations that came before you! _SADERAS INVI-"_

"SEXTUS GALBA" the Consul interrupted his ramblings with a commanding voice he didn't knew he still possessed. "born in the year 628, married into the House of Julia in 653, you went on your first campaign in 644 against the 'Warrior Bunny tribes' under the command of Prince Zorzal El Caesar, followed by campaigns against orcish tribes to the north, and the nation calling itself the 'Atroarsassacid Empire' in the east. Impressive, I must admit."

"Ho- how did you know that?" asked Galba, flabbergasted.

"Well, you see my friend, you were wrong in your assumption that I'm here to torture you, and that is because we already went through your very mind, all of your thoughts and feelings, all of your memories, even the ones that you don't remember now, were ours to know in around 20 minutes, there's nothing we didn't get out of you. No, I'm here to make you an offer."

"What kind of offer?"

"Let me put it this way; you, in your current state, have only one sort of use to us We need an experienced advisor and observer for our forces on the other side the Gate native to that world. I guarantee, you won't go hungry. With enough proof of your loyalty, you would be in control of the entire military of the Saderan Empire, maybe even the entire military of your world if you prove worthy enough for that, but make no mistake. If you turn against us, there won't be an offer like this one again.

"And if I refuse?"

"The only thing we can offer you, then is a fate worse than death; rather an anticlimax after your military career."

"What makes you think I'm even interested in turning my back to my Fatherland? Especially for your nation, that hides behind cowardly magic!?"

"My friend, let me tell you about the power of the nation I serve. Tell me, have you ever been in a desert?" asked the Consul, though he didn't give time for Galba to answer, "Of course you have, memory-copied, remember? Anyways, imagine a single grain of sand from that desert as your entire world; all the continents, all the seas, and the heavens above them. My nation has conquered not just an entire desert, but many, many deserts. In fact not just deserts at that, but forests, plains, lakes, rivers, oceans, hills and mountains. Your precious Empire is nothing, but a tiny point on the map, an insignificant spot, that could be easily wiped off by a wet thumb."

Galba, who has become mentally blinded and deaf because of this, could only stutter for a few moments before finally giving an answer: "I- I accept your offer, but with the condition that my family will not be harmed by your armies."

"That can be arranged, my friend, but first you will spend some time here with learning."

"Learning what?" asked the dumbstruck Galba.

"You'll see my friend."

And with that the Consul motioned for the guards to unlock his restraints and escort him to a cell. On his way out he felt that the Advisor wanted to 'talk' with him. he turned towards it.

_"Good work, Consul. Better than expected. Are the preparations for the accommodation of one of my associates commencing on the other side?" _read the Consul on his tablet.

"Yes, preparations are well underway, it should be ready in one and a half weeks at worst."

_"Understood, dismissed." _it said before silently floating away to parts unknown.

_An alien invasion, followed by a portal opening into a primitive fantasy world, than invading that fantasy world on behalf of the alien invaders, and now an Advisor complementing me? This is getting crazier every day._ thought the Consul as he boarded the elevator.

**Falmart, Imperial Capital City of Sadera, Senate Building, 3 days after the First Battle of Alnus Hill**

A lone cavalrymen was waiting to be admitted into the Senate's chamber. He participated in the battle against the Otherworlders, and was one of the few survivors from his alae, he was one of, if not the highest ranked soldier to get out of the battle relatively unscathed, he was told by the commander of the castrum he and his remaining comrades regrouped at. A lot of the survivors had the same train of thought, it seemed, as they slowly trickled into the fort. A day hadn't even passed before a messenger from Sadera arrived, demanding the results of the battle. When he saw that only a few hundred rag-tagged men were there, and that the cavalryman was the de-facto commander of those few hundred men, he ordered him to accompany him to the Capital and give his testimony to the Senate.

So here he was, waiting to deliver the bad news to the Senate and the Emperor himself, therefore he thought that these moments would be his last. It wasn't unheard of that the person who delivered such news was to be executed, usually in a grim, horrifying manner.

Finally, it seemed that the Senate has finished whatever debate they were having before as the door opened and the guards escorted him inside. Soon, he found himself in the center of the chamber, and in the center of the attention, facing the Royal Family and surrounded by Senators from all sides.

He knelt, and bowed his head to the Emperor.

"Rise." came the simple answer. he obliged. "Now tell us what happened on Alnus Hill." No further elaboration was needed, he knew exactly what the Emperor meant.

"Your Majesty, I was part of the reinforcement army you sent to our fort on Alnus Hill. We were briefed on our way there about our battle plans, so we could engage the enemy the moment they exited the Gate. We were fools, it all started with rumours of ghosts in the surrounding woods appearing out of thin air and dragging unfortunate scouts into the darkness of the night. We of course dismissed these 'rumours' but something was making the scouts disappear, and that's what should have made us worry right then and there."

"Ghosts?! What foolishness! Let me guess, pixies then bribed our legions to turn against us!"

"I think we should put this session on hold until he sobered up!" Came these and various other snidely remarks from the Senate. There were voices of reason among them but they were drown out in the jeers and shouts of the majority.

The Emperor though remained silent and just lifted his right hand into the air, demanding silence, it didn't take long for the Senators to comply.

"Continue"

"It was that night that the Otherworlders attacked. We were awoken by the roars and howls of their monsters. We were ordered to sleep in armor and with weapons within reach, so we quickly assembled into our formations, and started our attack, but the enemy possessed magic that we've never seen before. Streaks of blue and orange light bombarded our soldiers, our wyverns were torn apart by columns of smoke that exploded when they touched the wyverns, and explosions larger and far more devestating than any single spell I've seen a mage cast. I don't think it's far-fetched to say that every warrior in their army was a mage. Including their beasts. All this even before our ballistas got into range. My memory of the battle is splotched for lack of a better word. I remember our formations breaking on our way up, the screams, the battle-cries, the explosions, I remember my Tribune ordering me to alert our reserves before he was felled by the enemy's magic. When I looked back, I saw our camp go up in flames with the Legatus nowhere to be found. I followed my orders,and we rode to Castra Caesara to alert our comrades there. But when we got far away enough to see the whole battlefield, we could see that there was no army to be reinforced, so we fled, our warriors' screams accompanying us off the battlefield.

This time, the Senate was dead silent, until a more militaristic Senator didn't stand up and voiced his opinion, that is.

"These Otherworldly savages are clearly cowards hiding behind magic and lack the bravery to face us fairly, with honour! We need to send a larger army against them! More legions! More mercenaries! When they see our true might they will crack, and then world beyond the Gate will be ours!

Immediately, the Senate erupted into a flurry of heated debate, arguments, voices of approval and disapproval flying left and right, though he could see from the corner of his eye Zorzal, nodding in approval.

"And where will we draw those troops from? Our legions are guarding our borders against the easterners and barbarians as we speak!"

"What about our vassals? They have been building up their military for years, I say it's a good time they finally used it!"

This went on for long minutes before the Emperor rose from his throne, and silence once again fell onto the Senate.

"Senators! These are dire news indeed, but remember that throughout our Empire's history we faced threats such as this one before. And whenever that happened, the Senate, and the People united in the common cause of defending her. Instead of bickering here and waiting for the Capital to be surrounded, we shall take up arms and banish these Otherworlders from the Holy Hill of Alnus! We will call upon the Armies of the Allied Kingdoms to bolster our forces! _Saderas Invicta!_

The effect was instantaneous, Senators were standing up, cheering, glorifying their Emperor, chanting. Chanting.

_Saderas Invicta! Saderas Invicta!_

Chanting so loud that it could be heard on the streets of Sadera.

**_Saderas Invicta! Saderas Invicta!_**

**AN: And that's it for this chapter folks, hope you enjoyed it, and sorry if you found it shorter than you'd have liked. Reviews and ideas of any kind are appreciated as always, take care, have a nice week and see ya in the next chapter!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey there folks, firstly I would like to apologise for this 1-week delay, to which the reason for is that I had my 19th birthday last week, (at least at the time I was writing this) so I decided to take everything a bit easier for that week, including writing, I also (at least tried to) thought about this story; how to make this better, how should the story go, etc. during that 'break'. But here we are again continuing this, but before that the usual responses to reviews:**

**-High Lord Wolnir: There already are, mortar synths were used in the battle for City 17, and the 'Assassins' are in fact from a beta unit showcase I saw.**

**-qazse: That's medieval/roman way of thinking for you.**

**-fug: I'm working on this don't you worry.**

**-Larry The Mailman: Thank you very much, the fighter seems a bit OP, but there certainly are elements that I'll 'borrow'.**

**And without further ado, here we go:**

**Falmart, Alnus Hill, 10 days after the Battle of Alnus Hill**

The first phase of the Overwatch's base construction was almost complete, the only things that were still not finished were the satellite-launching platforms for the mortars and the Headcrab-canister silos, but they were close to completion. Meanwhile the first field medics arrived, who were quickly integrated into the standard Overwatch squads. The first Hunter packs were also deployed to the other side, which were now working in tandem with other Combine special forces and surveillance drones to recon the hill's surroundings and to harass an incoming native force, numbering around 120.000 soldiers. They had strict orders to only engage when there was a 100% chance that no survivors would escape, so only smaller supply convoys and depots were targeted, though such occasions were plenty, these natives were particularly zealous, and were not deterred by such tactics. Currently they were predicted to approach the hill within a few days, so the Combine forces within the fort were placed on high alert. It looked like they preferred learning things the hard way.

**Via Appia highway, approx. 60kms from Alnus Hill**

Unlike most of his fellow Kings, Shahs, and Basilias of the Allied Kingdoms, King Duran of Elbe was rather apprehensive since their call-to-arms by the Empire. All of the vassals armies, 120.000 men against a force of 10.000? Surely the Empire could've handled them by themselves, though it was true that Imperial reinforcements were promised, he was still at unease. Supply trains and scouts disappearing without a trace, accompanied by the roars and shrieks of beasts he never heard before, his instincts were screaming at him that unspeakable horrors were awaiting them at the Hill. If it was up to him, this campaign would've already been stopped dead in it's tracks or at least postponed until they linked up with the Imperial reinforcements.

But he couldn't do that, his reputation both within his domain and with his Imperial overlords would be tarnished, not to mention the stain it would cause on his honor. So he kept leading his men, as he always did, at the front of the column, always sharing their hardships, he knew that these soldiers would follow him to Hardy's realm without hesitation. Something that couldn't be said about a lot of the vassal nations' soldiers, because unlike them he preferred paid, professional soldiers, equipped and trained in Saderan style, over peasant levies.

Shaking off these thoughts he once again tried to concentrate on the here and now.

"How much farther are we to Alnus Hill?" asked Duran from one of his bodyguards

"If we continue to keep this pace up, we should be at the Hill by tomorrow afternoon, my lord."

"Good, and what about our supply trains? Are they still being harassed?"

"Not since we dispatched extra cohorts to guard them, my lord. From what I can tell, this will be a short victory against a cowardly foe that can only sit on the Hill and attack undefended supply trains."

"I don't think it's that simple, I believe there's a much more sinister reason for this" as if to emphasise, another one of those shrieks could be heard in the distance, sending chills down the warriors' spines.

"My lord?" asked the now intrigued retainer.

"The enemy doesn't want to show us their cards, at least not yet. They never left eyewitnesses and now that option is not available to them anymore, so they are just silently tracking our progress, always out of our scouts' reach. All this just to keep us in the dark, to be surprised in our weakest moment."

"What shall we do against them then, my lord?"

"What we always did son, fight and stand like men. If the Gods will it, we will be triumphant."

The response from the bodyguards was a short, but well-known cry of approval within the Kingdom of Elbe.

_"Áuh!" _

The army's musicians took this as their call for a new marching song, something that both noble knight and common foot soldier was grateful for.

Duran knew that even if they were to die on the Hill, it would be a death worthy of legends.

**Earth, City 17, Citadel, around the same time**

To say that Sextus Galba was experiencing a culture shock was an understatement. The things that he was so sure of, his very notion of reality has been shattered and turned upside down more times than he could count. From the basics of the Otherworlders, or the "Universal Union"'s weapons and soldiers as he learned they called themselves, to the true extent of their power on this world alone, and even meeting this world's "Administrator", Dr. Wallace Breen, from what he was told the closest comparison would be one of the Allied Kingdoms' kings to him.

He was an extremely convincing man, able to dissipate all his remaining doubts and worries with a single lengthy speech about how their true destiny awaited them among the stars, the way there being paved by their collaboration with the Union. Of course he also learned that this world was merely a vassal, for lack of a better word, of the greater Union, which, in all honesty frightened him to no end. If they commanded such power over this, rather "average" world, he couldn't imagine what would've happened if the Gate opened inside their empire's heart. A quick massacre, that's for sure. In fact he was encouraged not to think anymore of that, because the truth would "make his head hurt" to put it mildly.

Most of his time here was spent by laying on a metallic bed that steadily funneled information and knowledge to his brain; how the Union's military on Earth operated, it's command structure, what the primary methods of fighting were, "anti-necrotic", "anti-exogen", and "anti-anticivil" contingency plans, he was quite literally learning so much that it would've taken him decades to master by traditional means.

He was currently in the middle of one such 'session' when the door opened to reveal the "Consul", the man that brokered the deal with him. He was holding a set of photos.

"Galba, I have some questions for you, if you don't mind." said the Consul

"No, what is that you wish to know?"

The Consul showed him the photos.

"These were taken by our Shield Scanners, about 60 kilometers from Alnus Hill, you know who they are, aren't you?"

Galba took them. He was still baffled how realistic they were, even though he understood the basics of taking a "photo" he was still marveled by such feats of technology.

"Yes, this is the army of the Allied Kingdoms, on the warpath it seems. Have they turned against the Empire?" asked Galba.

"No, they're heading straight for the hill, if they continue like this, they'll be at the hill in 3 days at worst." said the Consul.

"So it seems that the Emperor has called on his vassals to be cannon fodder, it seems. There isn't enough of them to retake the hill." said Galba, holding up a photo taken from a higher altitude, showing most of the vassals' army.

"Yes, it looks like they're expecting further reinforcements, but we haven't spotted any more major forces in the vicinity. Imperial or otherwise." said the Consul.

"The Emperor is sending the vassals' armies to their deaths, then, so they won't rebel against the Empire once they learned of the grievous mistake the Empire has made." stated Galba, matter-of factly.

"Hmm, we could use this to our advantage in the future. Turning the vassals against their overlords by exposing the Empire's approach to their fathers and sons as disposable troops only good at softening the blow to the Empire." said the Consul.

"Indeed, truth be told the relation between the Empire and her vassals wasn't always as 'cooperative' as in these times." said Galba.

"Thank you Galba, that'll be all." said the Consul.

As he was making his leave, Galba suddenly said: "Consul, a question, if you may?"

"Yes?"

"How long until I get sent back to the other side?" asked Galba.

"Soon, my friend. Soon." was the answer.

"And how come you asked me directly? Didn't you say that you've copied my memories and mind?"

"Let's just say that I still like the face-to-face method. Helps build mutual respect."

"I see. Thank you Consul."

"Thank you for your time, Galba." said the Consul before leaving.

Back to the 'study-bed', as Galba called it, it was for him.

**Falmart, Alnus Hill, 12 days after the Battle of Alnus Hill**

It was a quiet morning for the Overwatch soldiers keeping watch in their fortifications, just like all those days that came after the first battle. Though ever since their scanners spotted an indigenous army in the vicinity heading for the hill, the base has been on high alert, with regular radio checks between each squad and the commander.

One such squad was feeling rather bored. They were promised a one-sided fight, -no a target practice to spice their time spent here with tedious inspection drills and endless hours of guarding forcefield generators that, from their point of view were impenetrable by the natives, up a bit, but even that wasn't coming.

**::Report all radials free:: **

There was the usual squad check-in, for the hundreth time at least today.

**::Sweeper Zero has negative movement, grid 5/16::**

**::Shadow Six reporting clear::**

**::Savage Eight report all positions clear::**

**::Reaper Two, Sector is secure, no viscon::**

Now all they had to do was just look out onto the same boring field that they did for hundreds of times now, nothing to see again. What a surprise-

Suddenly they spotted a horseman cresting a hill in the distance. He wasn't alone for long though soon more horsemen and infantry appeared beside him, their numbers swelling from the tens to the hundreds and eventually the thousands.

**::Viscon! Viscon! Contact dead ahead, range 2 kilometers!::**

**::Weapons off safe, prep for contact::**

**::Overwatch is at code 6 by 6::**

**::Overwatch hostiles numbering in the thousands, with aerial biotics as support, requesting reserve activation::**

**::Overwatch orders 3cc stimm boost::**

The base erupted into a flurry of activity, the squads' radios exploding with radio chatter. Soon the Overwatch loudspeaker started giving out orders.

_**::Sector breach confirmed, all stabilization teams move to designated hardpoints. Code: Clamp, Suppress, Coagulate::**_

APCs, synths, and snipers took their positions as one, while Overwatch soldiers rushed to their bunkers and dugouts. Hellion batteries were brought online, eagerly waiting for the order to fire. To an outside observer it was almost like an enchanted forest mustering it's defenses, only metallic.

The Allied Kingdoms' armies quickly organised into an attacking formation, and started their march towards the Overwatch perimiter, eagerly throwing warcries and insults at the fort in front of them.

**::Hostiles breached the 1500 meter mark. Pounder, Zulu, Juggernaut, Specter commence fire missions at grid 12/79 and grid 25/32::**

'It looks like this day wouldn't be so boring afterall' the Overwatch squads' thoughts must have been as shells started raining on their foes.

**AN: And we'll leave it with this cliffhanger, hope you enjoyed. Reviews and the like are appreciated, you know the drill if you read these notes. (seriously, does anyone even read these?) anyways hope you'll have a wonderful week, and as always, see you in the next chapter.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey folks, I'm finally back at this, now that my matura exams are done, I can continue this story, at last. To be honest, I didn't think at all that this is a good story, and that it would become as popular as it is now. Thank you all so much for the helpful reviews, and your support. But before we jump back into the story, responses to reviews:**

**-HopefullyHelpful: Well, this was helpful, indeed. (I'll see myself out...) Though we really just don't know, there isn't a lot of info about the Empire's size in the manga or the anime.**

** : Well, CPs generally don't have that good gear, plus we're talking about an elven bow, there must be some magic, or something involved with it. **

**-nexus4123: Thank you, I hope this story won't turn out to be a disappointment.**

**And without further ado, let's get back to our favorite fantasy vs sci-fi setting, eh?**

* * *

**Earth, City 17, Citadel, Consul's office**

The Consul had received reports of the Allied Kingdoms beginning their assault on the Overwatch beach head on the other side of the Gate, the day before. He was certain that nothing would've gone wrong, since the enemy was assaulting a fortified hill, that was defended by the best soldiers Earth had ever seen. He notified the Administrator and the Advisors about the situation the moment the reports arrived. Now, he only had to wait for the final report from the Overwatch commander on the other side.

When it finally did, it read almost exactly as what he expected:

**Final report of enemy attack on Overwatch positions on the other side of anomalous portal-structure**

**2025-08-22**

**Initial deployed Overwatch personnel: 15000**

**Initial deployed 'Allied Kingdoms' personnel: 120000**

**1st 'Allied Kingdoms Offensive result: -15000 'Allied Kingdoms' casualties**

** -0 Overwatch casualties**

**2nd 'Allied Kingdoms' Offensive result: -65000 'Allied Kingdoms' casualties **

** -0 Overwatch casualties**

**Overall 'Allied Kingdoms' casualties: 80000**

**Overall Overwatch casualties: N/A**

**Note: Remaining enemy force of 40000 is currently encamped East to Overwatch positions, Overwatch is holding defensive positions as directed**

_Just as I expected_, thought the Consul.

These Saderans proved to be quite tenacious. Both he, and the Advisors agreed that they needed more personnel on the other side. For that reason 'Search and Destroy' operations were carried out across the globe with ever-increasing frequency against rebel hideouts, so Overwatch units could be transported to the other side and against other rebellious regions, from the secure zones. The first such units were from islands, as Overwatch forces could easily force the rebels into corners there, utterly destroying them, which meant that further 15000 Overwatch soldiers and synths, mostly from the British Isles would be deployed on the Saderan front along with the first Airwatch units to be deployed against the Saderans, while 25000 more would continue the fight on Earth against the rebels, to make the process of sending soldiers through the Gate faster.

The Consul forwarded the report to the Administrator and the Advisors, then he gave a new sets of orders to the other side of the Gate.

_Surround and destroy the remaining hostiles at the foot of the hill. Captured enemy combatants are to be sent to Citadel for conversion. _

_Begin parasitic bombardment against minor indigenous population centers, ASAP. Scout out major indigenous military installations and population centers; Code: Clamp, Suppress, Flood._

* * *

**Falmart, Alnus hill, Approx. 30 minutes later**

Following Advisorial approval of the Consul's orders, the Combine force on Alnus Hill began their counterattack. Striders and Crabs were leading the way, APCs filled with Overwatch troops following them, while Assassin squads and Hunter packs encircled the enemy camp. Hellion batteries had the enemy camp already in their sights, the only thing they needed was an order to fire.

The Allied Kingdoms' leaders saw this, and were quick to organise their men to receive the approaching enemy. Their warriors, while anxious, obeyed their Kings, Counts, and Shahs. Saderan-style Knights and Eastern Cataphracts lined up side-by side, ready for one last, glorious charge. But something strange happened, the enemies' beasts stopped at 2/3-rd of the way between them and the Gate. Their soldiers exited the dark-blue contraptions, and just stared at them.

**::All units at status green, and in position. Artillery units, open fire. 30-sec extractor-barrage::**

**::Copy, shells on the way::**

Hell broke loose within the enemy camp, and within their ranks. Their encampment was reduced to splinters, their formations were blown apart, many unfortunates were immediately ripped to pieces or tossed into the air, missing limbs, while shrapnel tore through armor, flesh, and bone in equal measure. By the time the madness ended just a half minute later, the enemy's numbers were halved, with a portion of their leaders going down with their camp.

Overwatch forces were now moving in to finish off the disorientated enemy, troopers, synths, and APCs alike firing while advancing. Those who tried to flee, found themselves against Hunters charging the enemy's rear. The battle, or rather slaughter, was finished quickly. After the last warrior of the Allied Kingdoms fell, Overwatch troops went through the enemy wounded, picking up those they deemed worth converting, patched them up, then loaded them into their APCs, which drove back towards the Gate.

As they rumbled back to their base, with the last remains of an army in cuffs in their holds, the white streaks of headcrab-canister missiles could be seen rising to the skies. Their targets were the villages surrounding the large city, known as Italica.

* * *

**Earth, City 17, A day later**

15000 Overwatch soldiers were waiting in the City Square, in front of the Gate with their APCs. Waiting for the order to move out. Accompanying them were Striders, Hellion Guns, disassembled Hunter and Vulture choppers, Gunships and Dropships laying dormant in their towed transports, and an ominous, watertank-like structure, where large numbers of Overwatch troops were concentrated. Next to one of the APCs was the Consul, and Galba, Galba wearing his new Overwatch-Local Guide uniform, surrounded by a more modest body of troops, though still large in number. Galba looked above the heads of the Overwatch troops, towards the sealed-off Gate.

"Something on your mind?" asked the Consul

"It's just... I can't believe I'm going back to my world, but to fight by your side."

"These are strange times, for all of us. Remember what you're fighting for. This way, there's still hope for your people and your world."

"I understand, Consul. You know, back when I was on the other side, I never thought 15000 soldiers would be that much of a threat. But now...?"

"Welcome to modern warfare, Galba."

That was when the Overwatch announcement system went live, again.

_**All stabilisation teams designated for crossjump, embark designated carrier units. Crossjump is to be made in 5 minutes.**_

Overwatch troops quickly embarked the APCs that have lined up in front of the dome, containing the Gate.

"That's your call, I believe. Good luck, Galba." said the Consul, extending his hand to Galba, he took it in a firm handshake.

"Good luck to you too, sir. It was... nice meeting you.

"I have the sneaking suspicion, that we'll see each-other yet. Now, it's best you get going, trust me, you don't want to be the one keeping an Advisor up. Best of luck to you again."

"Thank you, Consul."

And with that Galba embarked into the leading APC, taking his spot behind the driver. Soon, the vehicle lurged forward, bringing him back to his world.

* * *

**Somewhere in the Falmartian wilderness**

Giselle, Apostle of Hardy was walking through the forest, the nighttime stars were visible in the foliage's gaps. She had no particular destination in mind, except for wherever the thin dirt path sneaking through the forest would lead her. Normally, travelling at night was a death sentence, especially alone. But that wasn't a case with demigods like her. No beast or human would dare attack her, because such a thing was suicide in and of itself, not to mention what fate would await them in the Afterlife after that. Suddenly, she had an all-too familiar feeling; Hardy Goddess of Death and the Afterlife, her mistress, wanted to converse with her. So, she sat down next to the closest tree, resting her back against its thick trunk. Then, she let her mind wander wherever it had to.

So, she soon found herself in a misty realm, beyond her physical body, her mistress being the only thing that could be seen clearly.

"Giselle, I have a crucial task for you. As you may be aware, I have opened the Gate of Alnus Hill. I wanted to teach the Empire a lesson. A lesson about humility, by bringing a superior force to bear against them from another world. While these Otherworlders have completed that task, I fear something went terribly wrong."

"What do you mean, my lady?"

"The world beyond the Gate, it's... bigger and more terrifying than I could have ever imagined. Their power is vast, and they are more brutal and ruthless than the worst tyrant this world has ever seen. All of us, even us, Gods... could be in grave danger."

"How-... How is that possible, my lady?"

"I don't know, Giselle. I don't know if they are even capable of what I implied, but we can't take any risks with these Otherworlders. You must awaken the Flame Dragon, and make it obey you. After that, you must do this with every other dragon, wyvern and griffon you can. We'll have to be ready in case we have to defend ourselves."

"My lady... who are these people?"

"I don't know, and maybe it would be for the best if we never gained knowledge of that."

"Then... forgive me for my insolence, mistress, but how do you know that they are a threat?"

"Let's just say... an old friend of mine came to visit, and he gave me a few pieces of advice. Go now, you have much to do."

"Yes, my lady."

And with that, Giselle found herself back in the forest, her back still leaning against the tree. Suddenly, a raspy and strained moan, and heavy breathing came to her attention. It came from the opposite side of the trail followed by more numerous moans. The silhouette of a shambling human emerged from the undergrowth, steadily limping its way towards her, followed by more, similar silhouettes. Finally they got close enough for Giselle to make out the details of the figures. The blood-soaked clothes, the claws that were where the hands should have been, the torn-apart remnants of shoes that were now too small for the creatures' enlarged foot, the gaping maw in the middle of their chests, exposing their organs, and the creatures- no, the abominations that sat on the poor wretches' head, controlling them like puppets.

At that moment Giselle understood, just what kind of horror was unleashed upon this world.

**AN: And that's it for now. Sorry that it took me this long to finally continue this story. I hope I didn't disappoint you, dear Reader with this chapter. See you guys in the next chapter. Until then, take care of yourselves, more than ever in these times of ours. More frequent updates to this story will be coming ;)**


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